The Beginning of the End
by Beanst3r
Summary: Stuart investigates strange noises coming from the abandoned studio down the road. Little does he know it's about to change his life forever. [A sort of "alternate universe" introduction to 2-D, based on how I thought he got things like his black eyes and missing teeth when I was younger.]
1. Chapter 1

**As the summary says, trying something a little different, based on my thoughts of Gorillaz when I was younger. Seeing as Murdoc is a Satanist, I think it works quite nicely. As always, comments are always appreciated. (No pairings or anything like that).**

 **Insert witty comment about disclaimer here**

"...and that comes to £8.77, sir."

This sudden show of socialisation was enough to snap Stuart out of his daydream and back to reality.

"Oh, eh, sorreh luv, coul' yeh run tha' by meh again?" He asked sheepishly, averting his gaze and scratching the back of his neck in awkwardness.

The cashier simply rolled her eyes and repeated the sentence, slower and more exaggerated this time. Stuart took a moment to process this information before understanding what he had to do. He fished a crumpled £10 note out of his pocket and handed it to the now exasperated-looking woman behind the till.

"Sorreh 'bout tha', sometimes I fink I'd forget me own 'ead if i' weren' screwed on." He chuckled lightly to himself at his own joke. The cashier, however, hadn't moved her facial expression one bit since she'd seen Stuart come stumbling into the little store.

"Mmm." She replied shrilly.

Sensing this conversation was going nowhere fast, Stuart hastily grabbed the change out of the cashier's hand, before picking up the groceries and hurrying out the door.

Wincing at the sudden exposure of sunlight to his sensitive brown eyes, Stuart reached into the back pocket of his navy blue jeans and retrieved a cigarette from the carton. He pushed his arms through the handles of the plastic bags and reached into another pocket, pulling out a his trusty flip lighter. He had done this many times before, and even he had to admit he was now quite efficient at it, lighting up the cigarette and placing the lighter back in his pocket in one smooth motion. He stood outside the shop for a while, leant against the wall of the shop as he took a few drags, hoping he was out of view of the cashier. Once he was satisfied, he set off down the street back towards his house.

Essex wasn't that hard to navigate, so long as you had been living there for a good few years, at least. Any less than that, and your chances of finding your way home in time ranked one step above sprouting wings and simply gliding over the city. Stuart had done this shopping run a thousand times over, and this one wasn't any different.

Well, it shouldn't have been.

Every time he had to go shopping, Stuart always had to pass that creepy old skeleton of a building that was Kong Studios. The place had been abandoned for a few years now, seeing as it's previous owners were last seen heading in the opposite direction as fast as their legs would carry them, screaming something about how the place is "cursed". He wondered to himself if there was a genuine reason for their behavior, and a small part of Stuart questioned if the place really was cursed. He soon waved off the thought.

Sure enough, after about five minutes of departing from the store, Stuart found himself walking past the somewhat daunting gates of the abandoned studio. Feeling a wave of uneasiness wash over him, he quickly started to reason with himself in his head.

 _C'mon Stu, you know better than that. Zombies are one thing, but ghosts and demons?_ He thought to himself. _Please._

Through this chain of thought, Stuart had eventually convinced himself that he had absolutely nothing to worry about, and that those other owners were probably on drugs or something. So it came as quite a surprise to him when a blood-curdling scream and a string of particularly bad curses erupted from the building.

Stuart froze.

"Wha' tha'..." He trailed off, unable to comprehend what he had just heard.

As he was about to tell himself it was just his imagination and continue home, he heard a loud, gravely, and British voice.

"FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S SATANIC, GET DOWN FROM THERE."

It was then that Stuart heard the most frightening voice he had ever heard.

" _ **OH, COME ON MURDOC, HAVE A HEART. YOU WENT THROUGH ALL THAT TROUBLE TO BRING ME HERE AFTER ALL.**_ " An inhuman, almost satanic string of laughter soon followed, making Stuart quiver in his shoes.

He was on the verge of just saying screw it all, drop the shopping, and run home screaming to his mother when he stopped himself. Hold on, hadn't this happened in countless monster movies he had seen before? Wasn't the hero supposed to have great courage and step in to conquer the monster and save the day? He grinned to himself as the realisation kicked his adrenaline into overdrive, and felt it course through his veins and replaced his thought process with a more primitive drive. Unable to wipe the grin off of his face, he grabbed onto the slightly rusty railing of the gate and hoisted himself up, taking care not to catch anything important on the spikes on the way over. Once he was sitting on top of the gate, he took a deep breath and jumped. Unfortunately for him, his shirt had caught the spike as he left, causing him to tumble to the ground, face first. Darkness instantly enveloped him.

When he came to, he didn't open his eyes. He just lay there, face still planted in the ground, waiting for the cogs in his brain to start start turning again. When they did, he instantly used his hands to push himself upward. As more of his senses came back, Stuart noticed a funny taste if iron in his mouth. His eyes widened in realisation. Blood.

He gasped sharply, causing two objects to become lodged in his throat which he hadn't felt previously. This caused his eyes to widen even more and was forced down onto all fours, coughing and spluttering. Once his throat was clear, he brought up the objects with his tongue and spat them out onto the ground, watching them fall. He wanted to scream. His eyes were fixed on two small, slightly yellowed shapes that had what looked like two small prongs at the end. Not wanting to believe his own eyes, he quickly ran his tongue along his mouth, a few tears escaping his eyes when he felt a rather large gap where his two front teeth should have been.

He just sat there staring at what were his teeth in disbelief until the sound of shattering glass and what sounded like furniture being overturned snapped him from his trance. He still had work to do.

Simply the thought that heroes ignore all pain and soldier on only spurred him on again. He picked himself up and continued on to the building. He mentally praised himself and was about to yank open the doors when someone on the other side beat him to it.

" _ **FREEDOOOOM!**_ "

Stuart didn't remember much of what happened next. All he remembered was the doors before him flying open, and not a second later, a mass of black smoke darting towards him. He had just enough time to make out a pair of piercing white eyes, with equally piercing teeth darting towards him. The thing collided with Stuart, sending them both flying backwards. He caught a glimpse of a worried-looking face in the doorway before landing on his back. He would probably have noticed the fact that it was raining only over the studio, and nowhere else, if something else didn't occupy his thoughts.

Stuart felt a surge of panic was over him as he felt the object force its way down his throat, feeling it bulge as it did so. He managed to get to his feet, and was about to turn around and run straight back to his shopping bags when he felt a surge of pain radiate from his stomach and spread through his body. He opened his mouth to scream, but the air was only met with a low-pitched gurgling noise. He was going to die. He was sure of it.

"Bloodeh hell." Was all he managed to mumble, before he doubled over, an overwhelming feeling of sickness replacing the pain. He was bracing himself for the inevitable black out.

It never came.

Suddenly, as if the previous few minutes had never even happened, it was over as soon as it started. It was then that Stuart was aware of a hand repeatedly tapping him on the shoulder, accompanied with the faint whisper of "bugger" repeated over and over.

Stuart looked up to face a man of imposing structure, with his greasy and long black hair, bold eyes, and what looked like razor sharp teeth. Stuart was expecting him to yell at him or even smack him round the head, but to his surprise, he wore a look of terror, instantly shooting back, and fell to the ground in his panicked state.

 _Murdoc watched in horror and guilt as he witnessed the young man double over, and then completely relax. Murdoc reluctantly walked over to check on the boy, praying to Satan the last thing he wanted to happen hadn't just happened. It had. Murdoc wanted to scream out. His death was seconds away. His horrified gaze was met with that of confusion. His eyes simply stayed locked on the boy's, as a black mist began to surround the boy's eyes, enveloping them completely._

"N-n-now l-look." The strange man began, constantly tripping over his words. "I know I've been treatin' you not right, uh… No 'ard feelings?" He asked Stuart, sweat pouring down his face.

Stuart just stared at him, unable to understand what he was so nervous about. "Wot?"

"I know it 'urt a bit gettin' you here, and I am sorry for that." He continued.

Still not knowing what the hell was happening, Stuart responded: "Yeh're godamn righ' i' 'urt, me fron' teeth are gone!" He opened his mouth and wagged his tongue through the gap for emphasis.

The man slowly realised what could have happened. "Hang on… where 'ave you just come from?" He enquired, a small grin spreading across his face.

"The shop jus' down' the road, I 'eard some com- comot…" Stuart furrowed his brow in concentration, then sighed. "I 'eard a lot of noise, and I came teh help."

"Oh my God." Was all the man said. "Yer, I can't believe it, yer too thick for the demon!"

Stuart just stared.

"Wot?" He repeated.

As soon as the words passed his lips, he heard a small voice at the back of his head. Small, but definitely a voice.

 _ **Let. Me. OUT.**_ A pounding sensation quickly followed. Stuart's hand shot up in response. The man, however, took no notice.

"Yer too thick! Too dense! Ha ha!" He was practically dancing.

Fed up with the events of today, and remembering his mum was probably going to have his head for being so late, Stuart let out a sigh and turned around. "Well, fanks mister, bu' I'll be goin' now."

This snapped the man out of his trance. "No no no, yer can't leave! Yer've got a bloody demon in yer fer crying out loud. You need to say 'ere, at least for now. New name, new life an' all that."

"Why? I ain' done nofink wrong!" Stuart protested. The man simply waved him off and thought to himself.

 _Alright, new name, new name… Pretty sure he's too dense to think one up himself… Hmm, too dense… too D… two dense…_

"2-D!" He yelled suddenly, causing Stuart to jump. "Yer new name, is 2-D!" He smiled triumphantly.

Stuart, or 2-D, just blinked uncertainly at him. "Like… like in teh movies?"

The man's proud expression quickly melted away. "Yeah, ye dullard, like in the movies."

"So, if I can' go 'ome, wot am I gonna do?"

The man paused and thought long and hard for a minute, before a wicked grin grew across his face.

"Ey dullard." He began. "How are yeh at singin'?"

 **Ta Da! Another story! Your thoughts?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Got requests to do a second chapter, which is good because ideas have clogging my head all day XP Here it is:**

2D took a moment to process what the man had asked. "Uh… I'm awight I suppose." He said uncertainly. "I've neva really 'ad a chance teh-" He was cut off before he could finish.

"Well, doesn't matter," Came the gravelly voice. 2D cringed as his nose picked up the unmistakable odor of B.O and alcohol. "We'll soon find out won' we?" An evil smile split across his face.

2D was about to attempt to protest some more when he felt the ice cold grip of the man's fingers close around his wrist and haul him into the building, the heavy wooden doors slamming shut behind them.

Another loud voice boomed behind them. "Man, can anybody tell me what the hell is goin' on?" A rather large black man loomed into view, rubbing his head whilst wearing a very angry and sleep-deprived expression. He had obviously been woken by recent events, if 2D had to guess. His eyes (a ghostly white, 2D noted) scanned the room, until his eyes fell upon the little blue-haired guy. "And Muds, who th' hell is that?" He questioned, pointing an accusing finger at 2D.

2D stepped forward slowly. He wanted to get on this man's good side, so seeing as he'd already had enough pain for one day, he decided to introduce himself.

"P-p-pl-pleased to meet yeh." He stuttered, his thick cockney accent only making it harder to understand him. "Me… Me names Stu-" He was instantly cut off by a sharp jab to the ribs from the obvious Satanist. 2D rubbed his ribs and shot a risky glare at him. "I mean, me names 2D." He stuck out his hand and smiled as best as he could, despite his need for a clean pair of underwear.

The large man slowly stuck out his hand also and lightly shook 2D's hand. "Russ." He replied suspiciously. "And I'm guessing you've already met Murdoc here?" His gaze turned to the strange man.

"Oh 'ello!" He said sarcastically. "So, I guess since you'll be staying with us…" He didn't wait for a response. "I'll show yeh to yer room." With that, he gestured for 2D to follow him, and 2D, not having much choice, turned to follow Murdoc. With a parting stare from Russ, he jogged a little to catch up to Murdoc.

This studio was a lot bigger than 2D expected. He had never actually been inside before, he had only caught glimpses when he would pass by on the street. 2D kept flinching when thunder cracked outside, and he was so distracted by this he didn't notice the cobweb that had been conveniently constructed at eye level. He walked straight into the cobweb, squealing and flinging his head around, slamming his head against the concrete wall as he did so. He slumped to the floor and cradled his now-throbbing head.

"Argh… Fffffff-"

This prompted Murdoc to finally turn around. "C'mon dullard, wassa hold up?" He spat.

2D very shakily got to his feet, palm still plastered to his bruise. "I didn' mean teh, the cobweb jus' came outta nowhere, and I panicked, and I-I…" He trailed off as he tried to think of what he was saying in the first place.

Murdoc simply groaned and pulled 2D along the rest of the way, until they finally came to a very rugged looking wooden door. 2D hoped that those weren't fingernail drag marks leading under the door into the room.

"Well, 'ere we are!" Murdoc exclaimed. Before 2D could say anything, thankful or otherwise, he found himself being shoved into the room, door slamming behind him. "Better get comfy mate!" He heard Murdoc's cackling as he made his way back down the hallway, until there were no other sounds other than the muffled thunder and the gentle whispering of the wind seeping through the building.

Exhausted, 2D headed straight for the bed which had been provided. He didn't have any pajamas or anything to change into, come to think of it, he didn't have anything at all! He decided he was too tired to care and hopped in fully clothed. Just as he was putting his head down on the pillow, a warm liquid trickling down the side of his left cheek reminded him of his cobweb incident earlier. Sighing, he hauled himself up off of the bed and made way for the bathroom. He stopped in the doorway and felt around for a light switch.

After a few moments his hand finally came to rest on a piece of string with a plastic handle. 2D grasped it firmly and pulled down, the small tiled room illuminating with a sickly yellow as he did so. But 2D didn't notice the water dripping down from the ceiling, or the few cracked pieces of tile that lay on the floor, or even the fact that this bathroom didn't even have a sink. No, his attention his utterly and completely focused on a small window in the bathroom, and outside it was a face 2D couldn't even begin to comprehend. He couldn't feel his legs. He couldn't run even if he wanted to. Not knowing what else to do, he just screamed. However, he realised the face was screaming too.

 _Cheeky begger._ He thought to himself. _What's he got to scream about?_ It was then that 2D saw that this wasn't a window at all. It was, in fact, a mirror. He only screamed louder.

He felt extremely light-headed. This wasn't him, it couldn't be! He remembered waking up this morning and staring into his hazel brown eyes as he brushed his teeth. And now they were… they were… gone. Slowly, 2D pulled down the lower eyelid of his right eye and slowly stuck a finger into them, just to make sure they were still there. He immediately regretted his decision when he felt a searing pain rip through his eye and ricochet through his skull.

"YEOW-ZA!" He yelled, reeling backwards and tripping into the bathtub. He winced as his head slammed against another hard surface. He put his hands around the back of his neck and locked his fingers, and stared down at his lap as he waited for the pain to subside.

 _Idiot._ He told himself once he could think clearly again. _If my eyes were missing, I wouldn't be able to see at all._ He shook his head at yet another fine display of stupidity.

Remembering his original purpose for coming in here in the first place, he picked himself up and rose back up to the mirror, shuddering once his eyes met his reflection once more. He opened up the mirror and began rummaging around for a flannel of sorts, silently thanking whatever deity was watching over him when he finally found one. He ran the hot tap for a few moments before capturing the water with the flannel and holding it up to the source of the blood. He dabbed at the cut for a few seconds, loose droplets of water plastering a few strands of hair to his scalp.

Once he was satisfied he wouldn't start bleeding again, he tossed the flannel into the sink and exited the bathroom, turning out the light in the process. Finally, he could rest. This time he didn't even bother to get under the blankets. He simply wandered straight up to the bed and collapsed on top of it all, falling into a deep sleep instantly.

/

"STUART TUSSPOT! WHERE ON EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN?"

"Wha-?" Was all he could manage to say.

DON'T YOU PLAY STUPID WITH ME YOUNG MAN! YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR AGES!"

Wincing at this sudden display of aggression, 2D felt himself welling up.

"I'm... I'm sorreh mum, I didn' know wha' I was doin'. It all 'appened so fas'..."

"Not good enough young man, we talked about this."

"'bout wha'?"

Noticing she was reaching into her back pocket, he began to panic. He was horrified once she produced a gun, and even more horrified once he saw her face contort into a demonic face. He recognised the vacant white eyes, and saw a row of fangs where her teeth should have been.

 **"Sweet dreams, Tusspot"** She, or "it", cackled, before he saw her sqeeze her finger on the trigger.

2D closed his eyes, tears blurring his vision anyway.

 **BANG!**

/

"ARGH!"

2D awoke with a start and sat bolt upright, scanning his small room for the source of the noise. Once he was sure his heart wasn't going to explode out of his chest, he got up out of his bed and walked over to his door, hesitating slightly before turning the knob and opening the door with a creak. Cold air instantly invaded his room, causing him to reach for the hook behind the door and grab a dressing gown that he assumed had been left there for him. Feeling much warmer now it was wrapped around his person, 2D waited to see if another noise would occur. After a few moments, the distinct sound of glass shattering resonated through the corridor. 2D shrugged it off as Murdoc causing a ruckus again, and turned around to head back inside his room.

However, the door was just about to click shut when 2D heard a noise he felt like he had not heard in a long time. No, it couldn't be. He strained himself to listen closer. Yep, that was definitely the sound of a child crying.

"There can' be a child in 'ere…" 2D muttered to himself. But once he heard more sniffling and crying, he was convinced. He stepped back out into the freezing corridor and, closing the door behind him, navigated through the various hallways. He was almost at the kitchen (which he assumed was where the noise originated from) when he heard the frantic pitter-patter of small feet, and not a second later, was tripping over some sort of small object. He collided with the ground just fast enough for it to hurt. "Nurgh, no' again…" He grumbled to himself.

The sniffling was coming from right next to him, followed by a quiet series of words 2D couldn't make out.

"Uh… 'ello?" He said uncertainly.

"Watashi, o kizutsukeru shinaide kudasai shite kudasai…" (1) Came the quiet voice. 2D was certainly no expert in foreign languages, but this voice sounded worried.

"Um, hold on jus' a sec." 2D reached into his pocket and retrieved his lighter. He held it up and away from his face, and flicked open the cap. His thumb struck down a few times on the spinner until the flame sustained itself. The small flame barely illuminated more than a meter around him, but he reasoned it was better than nothing. As his eyes adjusted, they rested upon a very small and very frightened looking face. 2D noticed tears marks staining her cheeks. He leaned forward and raised a hand to wipe them away. He was instantly greeted with a sharp gasp as the young girl raised a hand to cover her mouth. 2D stared in confusement for a moment before remembering his quite drastic change in appearance.

As 2D took her in, he noticed she was doing a hell of a lot better at keeping herself calm despite his looks than he did when he first saw himself. He smiled to himself and reached out to wipe her tears away, which this time she let him do. Finishing that, he stood up, smirking at the girl's amazement at his height. He then offered a hand to help her up.

"Me name's 2D by the way." He said as he helped her up. The young girl just stared at him. 2D frowned and tried again. "I said, I'm 2D. Wha's yer name?" Again the girl just stared. _Oh yeah._ He thought. _Probably don't speak a word of English._ Attempting a different tactic, 2D pointed at himself. "2-D." He said slowly, then pointed at the girl, wearing an inquisitive expression. She looked vacantly at the strange blue-haired man, before she seemed to finally understand.

"N-N- Noodle…" She said uncertainly. This time it was 2D's turn to be puzzled.

"Yeh name's Noodle?" He asked her. She nodded slowly. "Huh." Was all he said.

Shaking his head lightly, 2D strolled across the kitchen over to where he saw a light switch earlier. As he flicked it up, bright lights suddenly flooded the room, causing them both to shield their eyes. Once his eyes had adjusted, 2D noticed an array of broken glass that lay across the floor, accompanied by a pool of what seemed to be orange squash.

Piecing together what happened, 2D suddenly jumped into action.

"Aw, lil' luv… You awrigh'?"

Although she couldn't understand him, she could tell his tone was a comforting one. Feeling a small stinging sensation on her hand, she stuck out her bottom lip and raised her hand to show 2D a small cut on her palm.

"Ouchie." 2D remarked to himself as he examined Noodle's hand. "Does it 'urt when I do 'his?" He asked, pressing ever so lightly down on her hand. She let out a small yelp as he did so, negotiating the need for an answer.

Remembering the days when he was "Stuart", he remembered what his mother did whenever she attended to his cuts and bruises. He strolled over to the freezer and yanked it open, eyes wandering around until he found a stash of ice cubes. He picked one out and shut the door, hoping to dear God that was a jar of pickles and not a brain in a jar he just caught a glimpse of.

He returned to Noodle and placed the ice cube on her hand. She squirmed a little as the freezing object made contact with her skin, but she quickly got used to it.

"There we go." He said. "Just try an' keep i' there fer a while." He kicked himself once he remembered she couldn't understand a word he was saying. Instead, he took her and in his own and placed it on the ice cube, pleased with himself once she understood to keep it there.

"You awight getting back ta' bed?" He asked her. She simply smiled. _Guess that's about it then._ He thought to himself. With a parting smile, he turned around and headed for the door back to the corridors. As she saw him walking away, Noodle's face fell quickly, and she raced after him.

"Masaka! Matsu!" She cried after him. Upon hearing these words, 2D spun around to face the tiny Japanese.

"Wot? Wassamatter luv?"

Once she had caught up to him, she shifted her feet, obviously embarrassed about something.

"Um…" She began. "Watashi wa 2D, gomen'nasai anata wa beddo ni watashi o aruku koto ga dekiru to omoimasu ka? Koko wa kowaidesu…"(2)

2D, feeling bad for not being able to understand her, wore an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm sorreh luv, I don' know wot yer sayin'." He shrugged his shoulders for effect.

Noodle sighed and, feeling her face flush with embarrassment, began to make a series of gestures to 2D, who watched intently.

First, she pointed at 2D, then made a walking motion with her two fingers. She then pointed to herself, and then put her two hands together and rested her head on them, signifying sleep. Once she finished, she looked at 2D, whom she hoped understood.

2D's expression was blank for a moment until a goofy grin graced his face.

"Ohh, I gecha, yeh want me to put yeh to bed, righ'?" He asked, hoping he had understood her correctly.

Noodle picked up on the word "bed" and nodded.

2D only smiled more. "Well then, wha' are we waitin' for?" He turned to leave again, offering his hand to Noodle's. He was a little taken aback when she completely bypassed his hand and ran to his side, wrapping her arms around his torso.

"Arigatō, Senotakai otoko."(3) She grinned as she looked up at him.

2D returned the hug and patted her on the back. "There there."

Once Noodle was satisfied, she broke the hug and slipped her hand into 2D's hand, and waited for him to start walking. 2D smiled to himself and began the trek back upstairs, letting Noodle lead. They navigated the maze of corridors for a few minutes until they came to a door that had a sticker with "Noods" on it. Noodle opened the door, 2D still trailing behind. She let go of him and bounced into bed, beaming at him as she got under her covers. 2D strolled over and tucked Noodle in.

"There we are, all bette'?" Noodle nodded egarly.

"Welp, sweet dreams… 'Noods'." He added with a smile. Noodle smiled too, and, to 2D's surprise, leaned forward and planted a small kiss on his cheek, causing him to blush.

"Oyasumi 2D, Yoi yume o."(4) With that, she turned over onto her side, and almost instantly 2D could hear her soft snores.

Chuckling to himself, he gave one last look at Noodle before he closed her door and made his way back to his room. He whistled quietly to himself as he went.

 _Perhaps this new life of mine won't be so bad after all…_

 **Feeling pretty good about this story at the mo, let me know what you guys think! :)**

 **Translations:**

(1) "Please, don't hurt me…"

(2) "I'm sorry 2D, do you think you could walk me to bed? It is scary here…"

(3) "Thank you, tall man."

(4) "Goodnight 2D, sweet dreams."


End file.
